


How Not To Say 'I Love You'

by Birdywhistle



Series: Good Morning, Mr. Solomons. [2]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: But they are very stubborn, Fluff, M/M, Tattoos, They love each other, and goofy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:20:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18685846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdywhistle/pseuds/Birdywhistle
Summary: Tommy and Alfie love each other, a lot. But they are very stubborn and refuse to tell each other just that. They find another way.





	How Not To Say 'I Love You'

Tommy and Alfie had a very peculiar relationship. They were madly in love, yes, but not really in the business of letting each other know that. The pair of them got together whenever they could, enjoying each other’s company one way or another. One morning, they found themselves in Alfie’s bed. 

Alfie was looking at the man lying on the other side of his old but very comfortable bed. His eyes took in the whole of Tommy’s body, like he had never seen it before. He had, of course, but every time he saw Tommy naked was like a whole new experience. 

The bearded man decided to focus on his lover’s tattoos this time. He raised his hand to touch the inked spots of Tommy’s arm, tracing the lines with his index finger. Tommy, who was still sound asleep, woke slightly to the touch, turning on his side.

This gave Alfie a great view. Tommy’s sleepy face, the loose hair and droopy eyes. Although he loved all those aspects of the gang leader, his attention was on tattoos today. So he moved his hand to Tommy’s chest and placed it on the tattoo. Alfie could feel Tommy’s slow and steady heartbeat under his hand and couldn’t help but smile. Why was he so cheesy when Tommy wasn’t looking. Or conscious, for that matter. God, he loved that man, but he would never say it out loud like that. 

 

Alfie decided that it was time to show Tommy his true affection. That afternoon, when Tommy was out on a business meeting somewhere in Chalk Farm, Alfie went to see a good friend of his at a tattoo parlour.

“Alfie! Shalom! How are you, mate?” the short girl almost yelled in excitement when Alfie entered the shop. He gave the girl a hug before putting down his cane and putting his hat and coat on the coat rack. 

“Susanne! Lovely to see ya, darling, really. How’s the kids? See, my dear, I’m gonna need your talent. If possible, right now.” Alfie sat down on one of the chairs and pulled out a piece of paper from his waistcoat pocket. He handed it to Susanne. See looked at the scribbled lines.

Susanne took a minute to form a response. “What, erm, is it?”

Alfie looked utterly offended. “Well, darling, can’t you see? This here thing, it’s a rising sun!” And I want it on my chest. Right side, slightly above the nipple. I’ll pay double, if needed.” Alfie pointed to the paper once more. Susanne sighed, knowing that her friend was a good customer, and gave a weak smile.

“All right, then. Strip that shirt, Solomons. We’ll get it done.”

 

That night, Alfie came home with a sore chest, but he was very content with the result of his impromptu visit to the tattoo parlour. He was kind of hoping Tommy wouldn’t be home yet, so he could go and prepare supper. Without his shirt.

Alfie’s mind was trying to imagine how Tommy would react to his matching tattoo. He had already come up with somewhere around sixty-six scenarios when he heard the front door of his house open and then slam shut. Alfie took off his shirt in a rush and threw it in the corner of the kitchen, and went back to casually chopping potatoes.

Tommy had left his coat in the hallway and was, for some godforsaken reason, already undoing the buttons of his waistcoat. It was dropped on the floor before he even entered the kitchen. 

Alfie wasn’t sure what was happening. Tommy hadn’t said anything since he entered the house. Not his usual ‘Good afternoon, Alfie’, nothing. He was rolling up his shirt sleeves instead. Alfie was sure Tommy hadn’t even noticed that Alfie was cutting potatoes without a shirt on. 

“Tommy, dear? How was your day?” Alfie dared to ask carefully. Maybe the meeting went wrong and Tommy had to shoot somebody. You never know in this line of work.

“Alfie, hi. Everything’s okay. Just tired.” Tommy said, still not looking at Alfie. 

He almost thought that he was dreaming, because Alfie was now watching how Tommy was actually running his hand through his fucking hair. 

“Wait a minute,” Alfie noticed something under Tommy’s sleeve. “Tom, what is that thing there?” Alfie pointed at Tommy’s wrist while walking over to him. He took Tommy’s arm in his hand with some force. It startled Tommy a bit. Alfie rolled up the sleeve of Tommy’s right arm a bit more. It revealed a very fresh tattoo of something familiar to Alfie. 

Tommy had gotten a little black crown tattooed on his right wrist, just far enough up to be hidden by sleeves. Alfie didn’t know how to react or what to say, so he did the only thing he could think about. He took Tommy’s hand and placed it over his own fresh tattoo. Tommy finally noticed it.

They stayed like that for a while, staring at each other, marvelling at what they had done for each other. Words weren’t needed, but it was Tommy who broke the silence.

“We could’ve just said it, you know. We didn’t have to get matching tattoos without telling the other person.” 

“But we did, Tommy Shelby. Because we are very stubborn.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress but for the sake of the fandom and my friends this is already posted.


End file.
